Apparatus for feeding sheets



March 17, 1942. w.' T. BQAILEY APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS Filed May 9,1940 8 SheetsSheet l aze' ATTORNEY March 17,1942. w. T. BAILEY 2,276,683

APPAfiATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS Filed May 9; 1940 -8 Sheets-Sheet 2A'r'r'oriNEY March 17, 1942. w. T. BAILEY APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETSFiled May 9, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 17, 1942. V w; T. BAILEY2,275,683

APPARATUS FOR F.EEDIl IG SHEETS Filed May 9, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 4ATTORNEY Maz 'ch 17, 1942.

w. T. BAILEY APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS File d May. 9, 1940 aSheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY March 17, 1942. w. T. BAILEY 2,276,683 APPARATUSFOR FEEDING $HEE'IZS I I Filed May 9, 1940 8.Sheets-Sheet 6 IN NTOATTORNEY March 17, 1942. w. T. BAILEY 2,276,683

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS Filed May 9, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Q ii. h.I-IJ I is A Q 1 m 0 AN m y 7 %.w\ v\\-. IIMA INVENTOR BY $99MATTORNEY 1. nv n 'w vu w mm Ill an I March 17, 1942. w. T. BAILEYAPPARATUS FOR FEEDING SHEETS .Filed May 9 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 ATTORNEYPatented Mar. 17, 1942 i'r arms a T QFF 1 CE APPARATUS FORFEEDIYGS'HEETS App'lication May '9, 1940, Serial No. 334,149

18 Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for separating sheets, particularlywrappers, labels, and the like, and feeding them in succession from-astack.

In accordance with one aspect of my invention, the separation of thesheets is effected by a suction head which oscillates between an'end ofthe stack and a feeding element, for example a feed roll, and which foreach oscillation separates or lifts an end of a sheet from the stack andholds it adjacent the feed roll until pressed by the feed roll against asecond feed roll; more particularly, the second feed roll or elementmoves away from the first roll during movement of the suction headtoward it to avoid obstruction to separation of the sheet from thestack, and moves toward the first feed roll to clamp the sheet betweenthem before return movement of the suction head toward the stack;preferably, movement of the suction head beyond the normal or desiredposition of the end of the stack is utilized to control, as by trippingof a latch, operation of mechanism which feeds the stack during itsdepletion to maintain said end thereof at a predetermined level orposition.

Further in accordance with my invention, to insure proper feed ofcorner-notched wrappers, there are disposed within recesses of the frontedge of the stack of corner-notched sheets, means providing for blastsof air directed outwardly and away from the sides and aforesaid end ofthe stack so to preclude, during aforesaid movement of the wrapper bythe suction head toward the feed rolls, curling or folding of thosewrapper panels which because of the corner-notching are too short to beengaged by the suction head.

In accordance with another aspect of my invention, a suction head forseparation of sheets from a stack, comprises a member having in itssheet-engaging surface a plurality of ports, various combinations of oneor more of which may selectively be placed in communication with asource of suction byv a perforated sleeve, or equivalent, rotatablewithin said member and serving as a valve between the ports and thesource of suction; more particularly, each of the suction passages tothe ports is at acute angle to said sheet-engaging surface, which isarrested before contact with the stack by a projection along the rearedge of said surface, to effect withdrawal of the end of the sheet froma guideplate, or equivalent, at the corresponding edge of the stack.

My invention further resides in the features of construction,combination, and arrangement hereinafter described and claimed.

For an understanding of my invention, and for illustration of preferredconstructions embodying it, reference is made .to .the accompany ingdrawings in Which:

Fig.1 isa side elevational view, partly in section, with parts broken,away, of a wrapper'feeding mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the parts of stack-feeding mechanismshown in Fig. .1 in another operating position;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view, partly in section and partly brokenaway, of themachine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, in perspective and onan enlarged scale, shows sheet-separatingmechanism appearing in Fig. 1;

Figs. v5, 6 and '7 are fragmentary views referred to in description ofthesheet-separating mechanism of Fig. 4;

Fig, 8 is aperspective view, .partly in section and withparts brokenaway, of a :suction head shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view .of the suction head;

Fig. 10 is an end elevational view .of parts shown in Fig. 4;

Figs. lland. 12 are .plan views .ofdiiierent types of wrappers discussedin the following specification;

Fig. 13 is -,a side elevation of part .of the .machine shown in Fig. 1,as viewedfrcm the opposite side thereof;

Fig. 14, on an enlarged scale, illustrates the stack-feedingmechanismof-Fig fz with the parts in different operating position;

Fig. 15, in perspective, shows a modification of elementsshown in'Figl;

Figs. 16 and '17 are perspective views discussed in explanation of theoperation of Fig. 15;

Fig. 18 is a side elevational view on enlarged scale of one of the airblast members of Fig. 15;

Fig. 19 is a front elevational view of Fig. 18;

Fig. 20 is a plan view of parts shown in Fig. 15;

Fig. 21 is 'a perspective View illustrating .a modification of partsshown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 22 is a side elevational view, partly insection and with partsomitted,.illustrating tabbing mechanism; r

Fig. 23 is an end elevational, view, partly in section, of controldevices for the tabbing mechanism of Fig. 22;

Fig. 24 is-a side elevational view, partly broken away, of mechanismshown in.Figs. 22 and 23;

Fig. 25 shows atabbed wrapper in perspective;

Fig. 26 is a side elevational view, partly in section and with partsbroken away, of selective gluer mechanism;

Fig. 2'7 is an end elevational view, partly in section, of partsappearing in Fig. 25.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the machine G, generally of thetype shown in Nitsch Patent 1,684,741, comprises mechanism for feedingwrappers W in succession from a stack S thereof into engagement with aroller l coated with adhesive transferred thereto from roller 2 whoseperiphery dips below the surface of a body of adhesive within the pan 3.The wrappers having one face in part, or wholly, coated with adhesiveare deflected by the stripper blades 4 onto a conveyor C, preferably ofthe suction type disclosed in Stokes Patent 1,701,317 or Davis Patent1,818,198, which may, for example, transport them to an assembly stationat which boxes or box blanks are disposed thereon, either automaticallyor manually, in the intervals between successive feeding movements ofthe conveyor.

It is important in such case that the successive wrappers occupy thesame position at the assembly station, or in other words, each of thewrappers at the end of a step of the conveyor should be in apredetermined position. Heretofore, re-registering devices have beenrequired to effect such alignment because in the previous machines thewrappers were not rigidly controlled throughout their movement from thestack to the assembly station.

Rigid control of the position of the wrappers is also of paramountimportance when tabs are to be applied thereto, as by mechanism of. thetype shown in Rider Patent 1,857,260; otherwise, the tabs are notapplied to the wrappers in the proper or desired locations.

Rigidity of control is also of importance when I the adhesive is to beapplied to the wrappers in predetermined patterns, for example in narrowstripes along the edges, Fig. 11, as by mechanism shown in Rider Patent1,932,989.

With previous types of sheet-separating and feeding mechanisms, thewrappers were momentarily out of positive control during their transferfrom the member whichlifted them, or a portion thereof, from the stack,to the feed rolls, or equivalent feeding devices, which moved the sheetbodily from the stack. As will hereinafter more fully appear, it is afeature of my construction that each sheet, from the time it is engagedby a separating member and until it has been bodily removed from thestack, is under positive control so dispensing with need forreregistering mechanisms when the conveyor C transports them to anassembly station, and so insuring proper register of wrappers foroperation thereon of a selective gluing mechanism, or a tabbingmechanism, such as shown in the aforesaid Rider patents.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the stack of sheets S is disposed upon atable 5 supported by the Vertically movable column 6 associated withmechanism hereinafter described for maintaining the top of the stack ata predetermined level. The forward end of the stack, Fig. 4, abutsagainst a vertical guide plate 1 extending between the side framemembers 8 and 9 which may serve as guides for sides of the stack. Thesuction head ID for engaging the top sheet of the stack adjacent itsforward or right hand edge, Fig. 4, is supported by the arms ll, l2pivotally mounted upon the brackets I3 and I4 extending upwardly fromthe side frames 8 and 9 respectively.

Movement of the suction head l0 toward and from the stack is controlledby cam l5, Figs. 3 and 13, having a cam groove for receiving the camfollower 16 carried by arm I! secured to shaft l8 to which is alsosecured arm l9 pivotally connected to the lower end of link 20, Figs. 4and 13. From the upper end of link 20 extends pin 2! having lost motionconnection with arm l2 afforded by the slotted extension 22. Duringupward movement of link 20, the pin 2| engages adjustable stop 23 andfor its further upward movement raises the head I0 away from stack S,Fig. 6. When link 20 moves downwardly, the suction head I'll follows,under the influence of gravity or Other bias, until it meets and isarrested by the top of the stack whereupon for further movement of link20 the pin 2i moves downwardly away from stop 23.

The sheet-engaging face IDA of the suction head H], as most clearlyshown in Fig. 8, is provided with a plurality of ports 24 each connectedby an individual passage 25 to the cylindrical suction chamber 26extending from one end to the other of member ID, and at the left handend, Fig. 4, connected, as by coupling 21 and hose 28, to a source ofsuction, for example pump 29, Fig. 1.

To permit use of the same suction head for wrappers of various widths,with sufiicient number of openings to insure separation of large sheetsand yet without loss of suction when the same head is used for narrowsheets, there is provided a valve member 30 in the form of a sleevesnugly fitting the bore of chamber 26 and having therethrough angularlyspaced rows of holes 24A; the holes of each row are spaced axially ofthe valve member 30 each to register with one of the passages 25 throughthe suction head. The number of holes in the different rows suitablyvary so that by rotation of the sleeve 30 suction may be applied to anydesired group of ports 24. The sleeve 30 is held in proper axialposition with respect to suction head ID by the hearing plate 3|suitably attached as by screw 32 to the suction head. The member 33serves as a plug for the end of the valve member 30, and by itscooperation with plate 3|, as a bearing therefor. It also serves as amanually adjustable knob for setting the valve member 30 to any desiredposition and to facilitate such setting, the member 33 may be providedwith, or serve as, a scale.

With the particular construction shown, when the member 33 is in the #1position, suction is applied only to the central port and the head II]is thus adapted to feed. wrappers of the type shown in Fig. 12 suitedfor narrow deep boxes; when in the #3 position, suction is applied tothe three central ports, and. for each of the succeeding positions, anadditional pair of ports, one on either side of center is added to thosein communication with the suction chamber, thus for the progressivelyhigher settings of the valve 30, the suction head i0 is adapted tooperate upon wider and wider sheets. The particular machine shown issuited to feed sheets or strips as narrow as three-fourths of an inch oras wide as twenty-five inches.

Preferably, as shown in Fig. 5, actual engagement of the face IIJA ofthe suction head does not occur while the sheet is still flat in thestack; such engagement is prevented by the shoulder 34 integral withmember ID or, as in the preferred construction shown, afforded by theplate 55, adjustably secur ed'tb the suctien-head H! by the screws 36which pass through slots 31 inplate 35, Fig. 8.

With this construction, the area A-of the top sheet, between its edgeand the line of engagement with the shoulder 54, concurrently with itsswinging movement toward the face |i3-A of the suction-head, is drawnback from the front edge of the-stack so insuring separationof the frontedge of the top sheet from the corresponding edge of the next lowersheetor sheets.

This drawing back of the edgeof the top sheet is enhanced br contributedto by drilling or otherwise forming the passages 25 so that instead ofbeing normal to the face MA they are inclined toward the front edge ofthe stack, Figs. 5and "7 For optimum results with substantially different types and grades of paper, it may be necessary to adjust the plate35 in effect toincrease or decrease the extent to which the shoulder 35projects beyond the face 10A. The construction shown is suited to feedsheets of thickness ranging from about .001"--paper, Cellophane, -or thelike-to that of fairly heavy cardboard.

To insure separation of'only a single sheet at a time from a stack,there are preferably provided air blasts directed across the top of thestack toward its rear edge of the stack; in the particulararrangement'shown in Figs. 1-14, these air blasts issue from the .pipes38 connected, for example, to the high pressure side of pump 29. Asadditional or supplemental means for insuring separation of only asingle sheet, there are provided the brushes 39 supported by plate 45which rests upon ledge 4| extending rearwardly from plate 1 and isbiased 'away from the stack by the springs 42 encircling the pins '43which pass throughplate 40. The rear of the plate lfl is engaged by arm44 attached to shaft 45 supported in brackets 46 extending rearwardlyfrom plate I and to which is'secured arm "41, Figs. 4 and 10. Theposition of the brushes 39 with respect to the front edge of the stackcan be adjusted from the front of the machine by turning the threadedmember 48, which extends through, and is supported by, plate 1, andwhich, to the rear of plate I threadably engages the block 49 pivotallymounted on the'aforesaid arm 41.

As more clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the suction head l engages anarea of the top-sheet of the stack, which is somewhat removedfrom theforward edge, so leaving a projecting area A which, when the suctionhead is ,lifted from the stack by cam I5, is positioned, Fig. 6, incontact with or closely adjacent the feed roll 50.

As shown in Figs. and 6, the sheet-engaging face A of head In and itsface IOBpresented to the upper feed roll 50 extend at a sharp angle awayfrom the area A of the sheet, so to insure, when the suction head is inits upper position, contact between the feed roll 50 andthe sheet W asclose as possible to the face IBA; preferably, the face NIB is soshapedthat when the head is in the upper position, Fig. 6, the periphery ofthe roll 50 and the face ||lB are substantially concentric.

The spacing between the periphery of roll 5|] and face IUB for the upperlimit of movement of the head I5 is preferably very' small, for exampleless than .01". Close adjustment of this spacing can be effected byvarying the setting of the adjustable stops 23, I20 and HI. Stops I20and |2|, or equivalent, are necessary because otherwise, there being norigid connection between arm I 2 and -i'flgth'e suction headi wo'uld,

due to its inertia, at end of the upstroke of arm 20, strike roll 50 andperhaps bound back and forth between limits determined by roll '50 andthe stop-25.

Before release of the sheet W from the suction head Ill, a second feedroll 5| carried by arm '52 is swung to its full line position shown inFig. 5, so to clamp the forward end A of the sheet between the two feedrolls. Before the trailing end of the sheet has passed between the feedrolls 55 and 5|, its leading edge passes between the second pair of feedrolls 53, 54,- Fig. 1, and before the trailing end of the sheet haspassed the second pair of feed rolls, its forward portion has.

been deflected from the adhesive-applying roll I onto the receiving endof the suction conveyor C. It is thus insured the wrapper W has adefinite position at every instant in the cycle of the sheet-separatingand feeding mechanism, and

so has a definite position with respect to any other 1 synchronizedmechanism, such as the aforesaid selective gluer or tabbing mechanism,intended to operate upon it at a definite time in its cycle.

The feed roll 50 is supported by shaft 55 extending between the sideframes 8 and 9 of the machine and to the right hand end of which, Fig.3, is secured gear 86 driven from gear l5 on the one-cycle shaft 58through gear 85. To the left-hand end of shaft 55 is attached gear 65for driving the lower, or oscillating, feed roll 5| through the train ofgearing including gears 5|65. Gear 63 is mounted concentrically, Figs. 1and '3, with the pivotal axis of the arms 52 which support the shaft 66of roll 5i so to maintain driving engagement between the shafts 55 and66 as the lower feed roll 5| is moved toward andaway from the upper feedroll 50. I

The rocking movement of the supporting arms 52 of feed roll 5| iscontrolled by a cam groove 6'! of driven clutch member 68A attached tothe one-cycle shaft 58. The cam follower 69, received by groove 61, issupported by arm It, Figs. 3 and 13, pivoted at its lower end to sideframe '9 of the machine, and connected at its upper end to one arm ofone of the bell crank levers 52. The connection between arm TH and lever'52 is preferably an extensible one, such as afforded, for example, bythe threaded member H, so to permit adjustment of feed roll 5| to suitpapers of different thicknesses or finishes. I

The other bell crank lever 52, for supporting the left-hand end of shaft65, Figs. 1 and 3, is

similarly connected by another adjustable link H to arm 10A pivotallysecured at its lower end to the side frame.

The timing of the movement of conveyor'C is controlled by the abutments'12, I3, Fig. 3, which, during each cycle of the mechanism G, alternately engage the lower end of lever M pivoted intermediate its ends at15 to the frame member of the machine, and at its upper end providedwith a yoke received by the groove in driven clutch member 16 'slidablykeyed to the stud shaft 11. When the lever 14 is swung incounterclockwise direction by abutment 13, the driven clutch member 16is moved into engagement with the driving clutch member 18' looselymounted on shaft I1 and continuously driven from gear 53 through gears51, 59, I9 and 85. Upon such engagement, shaft 11 is rotated to effectrotation 1 ment I2, the clutch members I6 and I3 are disengaged, so tointerrupt movement of the conveyor belt C at a predetermined time in thecycle of the machine. Because of aforesaid continuous control of thesheets W, each of them, at the end of a stepping movement of conveyor C,occupies the same position as that occupied by the previouslytransported sheet or wrapper.

The abutments I2 and 13 are angularly adjustable with respect to eachother and with respect to the shaft 50 so to adapt the machine todifferent lengths of wrappers or sheets or to vary the extent of theirfeed per cycle of the machine.

The adhesive-applying roll I is continuously rotated by the train ofgearing including gears 51 and 59.

The motor 88 for driving the conveyor C, the sheet-separating andfeeding mechanism, and the adhesive-applying roll I, is connected toshaft 58 through driven clutch member 68A, gear 58, Figs. 3 and 13, worm89, spiral gears 90 and 9I, shaft 92, clutch 93, and belt 94. The rod 95for effecting engagement and disengagement of the elements of clutch 93may be controlled manually. The clutch comprising gear or driving clutchmember 68 and driven clutch member 58A includes a dog or latch, notshown, which may be released manually, or automatically as by abox-wrapping machine, to initiate the cycle of the sheet-feeding machineG, and which is reset at the end'of the cycle by stop, not shown,retractable, as aforesaid, to initiate the next cycle.

The suction head I0, in addition to separating sheets from the stack S,is utilized, as now described, to control upward feed of plunger 6, Fig.1, to maintain the top of the stack at a predetermined level. The armIOA, Figs. 1 and 14, is provided with a pin 96 received by slot 91 inblock 98 secured to one end of link 99 whose other end is pivotallysecured to a frame I oscillatable about the axis of shaft MI. The pawlI02 pivotally mounted upon member I00 is adapted to engage the teeth ofratchet I03 on shaft IOI. The rack I04 cut in the supporting column 9for stack S is in driving engagement with shaft IOI through the train ofgearing including gears I05 and I06 on shaft I01 and gear I08 on shaftI05.

With member I00 locked in the position shown in Fig. l, the pin 96,during its angular reciprocation with arm 70A, merely rides back andforth 1 in slot 91; when, however, the member I00 is released, ashereinafter described, for movement in clockwise direction by spring, orother, bias, the arm 10A through its pin 90 effects reciprocation of thelink 99 and so causes rotation of shaft IOI in counter-clockwisedirection, Fig. 1, with consequent upward movement of the stacksupporting plunger 6. The pawl I23 prevents reverse rotation of shaftIOI.

The release of member I00 to initiate the stack-feeding movement iscontrolled by the suction head I0. Referring to Figs. 1 and 4, thetripping member I09 is pivotally connected at its upper end to anextension IIO of the supporting arm I I for the suction head. The springI II compressed between the bracket II2 extending outwardly from theside frame 8 of the machine and the adjustable stop H3 is insufficientfully to overcome the weight of the suction head I0. Consequently, thelowermost, position of the member I09 in each cycle of the machinedepends upon the plane of the top sheet of the stack. So long as thelevel is correct or not too low, the suction head I0 is arrested by thestack with the lower end of tripping member I09 out of engagement withthe latch member II4 which is biased to its latched position againstadjustable stop I24 by spring I25.

When, however, the stack has been sufficiently depleted, the suctionhead I0, before its downward movement is interrupted by the stack,effects, through the tripping member I09, movement of latch II4 from theposition shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2. With theabutment II5 of member I00 no longer engaged by the abutment II6 oflatch I I4, member I00 is free to move, as above discussed, in clockwisedirection, to shift link 99 to the right whereupon, arm 'IOA, during oneor more of its subsequent oscillations, effects counter-clockwisemovement of member I00 intermittently to raise the stack S.

Latch II4 when tripped is prevented from immediately returning to itsoriginal locking position of Fig. 1, when suction member I0 is raisedfrom the stack, by the second latching member I I1 biased to theposition shown in Fig. 2 by spring IIB. During each reciprocation ofmember I00, its abutment II9 moves secondary latch II'I out ofrestraining engagement with latch II4, Fig. 14. Thus, after the latchingmechanism has once been tripped, it is re-set and re-tripped in everysubsequent cycle until the level of the stack has been restored to suchheight that, when suction head I0 descends, the tripping member I09 doesnot engage and release the main latch II4.

Preferably, the suction to head I0 is cut off in each cycle of themachine after the projecting area A of the separated sheet has beenclamped between the feed rolls 50 and. 5I. To that end, thereisinterposed between the suction head and the pump 29, a bleeder valveI30, Fig. 1, whose movable element I3I is biased to closed position, asby spring I 32, and is moved to open position by a cam member I33attached to, or a part of, the rectilinearly reciprocable bar I34, whichis slidably connected to the actuating arm 52 of the lower feed roll 5I.The cam I33 is so shaped or positioned on bar I34 that substantially atthe end of a movement of feed roll 5I toward feed roll 50, the cam I33,through the interposed pivoted arm I35, depresses the stemof the valvemember I 3| and breaks the suction exerted upon the sheet W now grippedbetween the feed rolls 50 and 5I, so to avoid hindrance by the suctionto bodily movement of the sheet from the stack by rolls 50 and 5I.

When the mechanism G is controlled, or automatically tripped by abox-wrapping machine,

for example, with which it is associated, it is often desirable that thefeed of sheets from stack S be discontinued without interruption of theoperation of conveyor C. Such interruption of feed of sheets from thestack may be conveniently elfected, as shown in Fig. 1, by a valve I30in the suction line from pump 29 to suction head I0.. Themovable elementof the valve is connected by link I31 and levers I38 to a rod or othercontrol member I39 extending to a position convenient to the operator ofthe wrapping machine.

When the sheets to be separated from the stack are corner-notchedwrappers, Fig. 15, the suction head I0 engages only the central portionof the leading end of the wrapper and there is tendency for the leadingwings or flaps F to curl back, Fig. 17, with the result the feed rolls53 and 54 sharply fold the flaps against the wrapper and so createdifficulties arising during application of. adhesive to the wrapper andin. application of the: wrapper to a box.

This difliculty is overcome in the modification shown in Figs, 15, 16and 20 by providing air blasts so directed outwardly and above the topof the stack that the wings F of each sheet, after its separation fromthe stack, are prevented from curling. These air blasts are pro-- videdby the slotted nozzles I40, I at the upper ends of the tubes or pipesI41: suitably" connected, as by tubing. I42, to" the emaust. side of thesuction' pump 29. The slot I26,v throughwhich the air issues from eachof the heads I40, is, as shown. most clearly in- Figs. 18 and 19,,

preferably cut at an angle with respect both to horizontal and verticalplanes through the head. As shown in Figs. 15 and. 16, the lower end. ofeach slot is adjacent the guide plate 1' for the front of the stack andeach slot is directed substantially at right angles to the plate 1 andaway from the central portion of the stack. With' the slots so cut anddirected, there is within and adjacent each of therecesses defined bythe front notches of the stacked sheets a turbulent body of air, vapor,or gas, generically termed air which assists in the separation of thesheets as they in turn become the top sheet of the stack, and anupwardly directed jet of air moving athigher velocity which resists anyten dency of the wings or flaps F, F'of the separated wrappers to curl.

To permit adjustment of the nozzles I40, M6 to accommodate differentwidths of wrappers, their supporting tubes I4I, are suitably attached,as by clamps I 41, Fig. 9, to the standards I43 adjustably held, as byset screws I44; to the bar I45 extending substantially parallel toplate1 to: which it is supported by bracket I46. The standards I43 are alsopreferably used, Fig. 15, as guides to hold the wrappers or. stack inproperly aligned position.

Instead of the brushes 39 shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 15,. there may be, andpreferably is used a plurality of resilient fingers 39A, Fig. 21,suitably attached to the adjustable block 46; Thesefingers may be ofrubber or preferably they are of clock-spring steel.

The manner in which my improved sheet-feeding arrangement may becombined with tabbing mechanism such as disclosed and claimed. inaforesaid Rider Patent 1,857,260 is shown in Figs. 22, 23 and 24.

The roll I, Figs. 2324, applies adhesive to the wrappers removed fromstack S and transfers to the wrapper tabs T, Fig. 25, cutfrom strips SIof tabbing material. The strips SI are intermittently fed from rolls Rthereof bymechanism herein briefly expalinedand fully described inaforesaid Rider patent. Each strip is. cut by a knife I50 operating intimed relation. to the suction-head Ill and the oscillatable feed roll5I. The tab-transfer roll I5I, coated with adhesive, engages theleading. ends of strips SI before the knives I56 descend so thatimmediately a pair. of

tabs are cut from the strips S I, the roll I5 I moves them toward: rollI onto which they are deflected by strippers I52.

The tabs are transferred by roll I to the wrappers concurrently withapplication of a. coating of adhesive to the wrappers. Because ofaforesaid positive or rigid control of the wrappers by my wrapperfeeding. mechanism, whereby the wrappers or sheets are under positivecontrolv from the time they leave thestack until after the tabs arethereto applied, the tabs are applied locations on successive wrappers.

The train of gearing: for effecting? continuous rotation of roll Icomprises the continuously rotating gear 51, rotatable'with gear 68,gear 59,

gear" I53 and gear I54 attached to. the shaft of" roll I.

The lengths of the tabs, and their positions upon the wrappers are.controlled by the cams I55, I56 pivotally mounted, respectively, upon.

disks I51, I58 angularly adjustable on hub member I59. TheclampinglugsI60 and their bolts I6I are provided'to clamp the. disksinatheirfadjustedpositions on hub- I59 which is: suitably attachedto-and rotates. with gear I62 intermittently rotated throught-the trainof gearing comprising gears I5, 85, I63, I64 and I65.

Th rollers I66, I61 adapted to engage the cams I55 and I56,respectively, are carriedby arm I68 attached to shaft I69 towhich issecured, in each of the tabbing heads, an arm I16 Upon counter-' forsupporting a feed-roll I1I. clockwise movement of arm I10, Fig. 22,feedroll I1-I against a lower feed-roll- I1 .IA. The period ofengagement betweenroller. I66 and its actuating.

cam I55 may be varied by angularv adjustment of member I12 about theaxis of studshait. I 13.

The lower surface of. cam I55 rides upon the adjustable stop IMsuitablysecured to the inner face of member I12. Movement of arm I68 to separatethe tab-feeding. rolls, as. roll I66 or I61 passes 01f its respectivecam,.is effected. by spring I15. The index. plate I16A clamped. to theend of shaft I13 indicates the position of stop I14.

Similarly, the period of engagement between roller I61 and cam I56 maybe varied by movement of actuating handle I16 connected to thestop-supporting member I11. freely rotatable on the hub portion of gear.I62.

The interval between actuations of arm I68 in. 1

a cycle of the machine and, therefore,.the spacing of tabs along awrapper is varied by changing the relative angular positions of camsI55, I56

. upon hub member I59. The. length of the tabs is varied as abovedescribed.

Each of the knives I50 descends concurrently with lifting of theassociated upper feed-roll I1I from one of the strips SI. The operatingarm I18 for a knife is attached to shaft I19 to an end desired patternof adhesive to be transferred to I a wrapper fed from stack 8 by themechanism shown in Figs. 1-20. The rigid control by the feedingmechanism of each wrapper from the inception of its separation from thestack until and during its engagement with roll I insures properlocation of the desired pattern of adhesive upon each wrapper; see forexample, Fig. 11.

The upper scraper member I83 isattached to a bar I84 extendingsubstantially parallel to the periphery of roll I and having at its endssupporting arms I85 looselyreceived by shaft I86.

exactly at the'locations desired and at the same descends to press thetabstrip SI The scraper I83 is biased toward engagement with roll I byspring I81. The lower scraper member I82 is attached to shaft I86 and isbiased toward engagement with roll I by spring I88 connected between armI89 attached to shaft I86 and arm I96 attached to sleeve I9I on shaftI92. The arm I93 attached to sleeve I9I supports roller I66, I61coacting with cam I55, I56 pivotally mounted upon disks I 51, I58clamped in desired angular relation to'hub member I59 rotatable withgear I62.

The period of engagement between roller I61 and cam I56 for each cycleof the machine may be varied by angular adjustment of stop I'II operableby handle I76. Similarly, the period of engagement between roller I66and cam I55 may be varied by angular adjustment of stop I'M operable byhandle I163. The setting of the cams with respect to each other and tothe hub I59 determines "when and for how long the scraper blade I82engages the adhesive-coated roll I during each cycle of machine G.

The movement of the upper scraper blade I83 is controlled by cam I93A,of suitable configuration, clamped in desired angular relation to hubmember I94 rotatable with gear I62. Cam I93A engages roller I95 on armI96 attached to one end of shaft I92 to which is also secured the armI91 between which and arm I85 of the scraper bar I83 the spring I81 isconnected.

For the operation and construction of the scraper-actuating mechanismand of the provision for procuring various patterns of adhesive,reference is made to aforesaid Rider Patent 1,932,989.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising asheet-separating member including shoulder structure for engaging andextending across an end sheet of the stack at a distance from an edge ofthe sheet and means for bending along said shoulder structure thatportion of the sheet between its said edge and said shoulder structureand holding said bent portion of the sheet to said member, means formoving said member away from said stack to separate therefrom at leastsaid portion of said sheet, and sheet-feeding means for clamping uponsaid bent portion of the sheet while it is held to said member.

2. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising a suctionmember, shoulder structure projecting beyond said suction member forengaging and extending across an end sheet of the stack at a distancefrom an edge of the sheet, means for moving said member away from saidstack to separate therefrom at least that portion of said sheet, betweenits said edge and said shoulder structure, bent along the shoulderstructure by the suction, and sheet-feeding means for clamping upon saidbent portion of the sheet while it is held by the suction to saidmember.

3. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising a'member forengaging and extendingacross an end sheet of the stack at a distancefrom an edge of the sheet and having a plurality of spaced ports, meansfor applying suction through said ports, means for moving said memberaway from said stack to separate therefrom at least that portion of saidsheet, between its said edge and the member, held by the suction to saidmember and feed rolls for clamping upon said portion of the sheet whileit is held by said member.

4. Apparatus for transferring and feeding sheets comprising a feed roll,a transfer member for engaging and holding a sheet, and means for movingsaid member to effect engagement between said roll and said sheet, thesheet-engaging face of said member and the face thereof presented tosaid roll extending from an edge of said member at an angle which issharp to provide for engagement between said roll and sheet close tosaid edge.

5. Apparatus for transferring and feeding sheets comprising a feed roll,a movable transfer member having a fiat face for engaging a sheet and anadjacent concave face, and means for moving said member to position itsconcave face substantially concentric with said roll and its flat facesubstantially tangent to said roll.

6. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising a movable memberhaving an elongated sheet-engaging face having one or more ports, meansfor moving said member to bring said face thereof to an inclinedposition short of contact with the end sheet of said stack, meanssupplying suction through said ports to an area of said sheet to swingit against said inclined face, and structure forming an elongatedprojection from said surface for engaging said sheet adjacent said areathereof and co-operating with the applied suction to effect rectilineardisplacement of said entire area as it is swung toward said face.

7. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising a member havinga sheet-engaging face movable to a position short of contact with theend sheet of said stack adjacent an edge of the sheet, said memberhaving one or more passages inclined toward said edge of said stack,

means for supplying suction connected to said passages to draw an areaof said sheet against said face, and structure engaging said sheetadjacent said area and co-operating with the suction applied throughsaid inclined passages to effect rectilinear displacement of said areafrom said edge of the stack as the sheet is drawn toward said face ofthe member.

8. Apparatus for feeding and transferring sheets comprising a feed roll,a second feed roll movable toward said first feed roll, a transfermember having a fiat sheet-engaging surface, means for moving saidmember, while holding a sheet, to position said face substantiallytangent with said first feed roll, means including a lostmotionconnection for moving said second feed roll to position substantiallytangent to said first feed roll and to said face there to press saidsheet against said first feed roll, and stop structure preventingoverthrow of said transfer member into engagement with said first feedroll.

9. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising a member forengaging an end sheet of the stack, means for moving said member awayfrom the stack while holding said sheet, and means to prevent curling ofa leading portion of the sheet during its movement by said membercomprising nozzles directing blasts, between said end of the stack andtoward said sheet after at least partial separation therefrom, alongsaid sheet toward the leading edge thereof.

10. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising a member forengaging an end sheet of the stack, means for moving said member awayfrom the stack while holding said sheet, and means to prevent curling ofthe corners of the sheet during its movement by said member comprisingnozzles directing blasts, between said end of the stack and said sheetafter at least partial separation therefrom, along the sheet toward saidcorners.

11. Apparatus for feeding corner-notched sheets from a stack comprisinga member for engaging an end sheet of the stack between its flaps formedby the corner-notching, means for moving said member away from the stackwhile holding said sheet, and means to prevent curling of said flapsduring movement of the sheet by said member comprising nozzles directingblasts outwardly of the stack between said end of the stack and saidsheet, and along the sheet toward said flaps.

12. In an apparatus for feeding sheets comprising a conveyor operatedstep-by-step, means for feeding a sheet from a stack to said conveyorfor each step thereof and insuring the sheets at the end of each step ofthe conveyor shall in turn occupy identical positions thereon comprisinga member movable toward and from the stack in timed relation to saidconveyor in succession to lift each sheet as it becomes an end sheet ofthe stack, and feeding elements movable toward and away from each otherin timed relation to said member and to said conveyor clamping a sheetwhile held by said member and feeding it to said conveyor.

13. In an apparatus for feeding and coating sheets comprising a roll fortransferring a predetermined pattern of adhesive to sheets insuccession, means for feeding the sheets in succession from a stack intoengagement with said roll and insuring transfer of identical patterns inidentical locations upon the successive wrappers comprising asheet-separating member movable toward and from the stack in definiterelation to occurrences of successive patterns on said roll, and feedingelements movable toward and from each other in timed relation to saidmember for clamping a sheet held by said member and for feeding thesheet to said roll.

14. In an apparatus for feeding and tabbing wrappers comprisingmechanism operating intermittently to apply tabs to wrappers, means forfeeding the wrappers in succession from a stack to said tabbingmechanism and insuring application of tabs to identical positions uponthe successive wrappers comprising a wrapper-separating member movabletoward and from the stack in timed relation to said tab-applyingmechanism, and feeding elements movable toward and away from each otherin timed relation to said member and said tab-applying mechanismclamping a wrapper while held by said member and feeding it to saidtab-applying mechanism.

15. In a system comprising a member coated with adhesive and means forapplying tabs thereto, means for feeding wrappers from a stack to saidmember for transfer therefrom to the wrappers of adhesive and tabsincluding devices successively effecting movement of each wrapper andjointly effecting continuous rigid control of each wrapper frominception of its movement from the stack at least until completion oftransfer thereto of tabs from said member to insure the tabs transferredto successive wrappers shall occupy identically corresponding positionsthere- 16. In a system comprising a conveyor and a tabbing mechanism,means for feeding wrappers from a stack for application thereto of tabsby said mechanism, while enroute from the stack to said conveyor,including devices successively effecting movement of each wrapper andjointly effective with each other and said conveyor to retain rigidcontrol of each wrapper from inception of its movement from thestack,'throughout application of tabs thereto by said tabbing mechanism,and until under control of said conveyor, to insure the tabs applied tosuccessive wrappers shall occupy identically corresponding positionsthereon.

17. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising a sheet-feedingroll, an oscillating member for effecting movement of said roll towardand from a sheet-feeding position, a sheetseparating member movabletoward and from engagement with the stack to move each sheet in turn tosaid sheet-feeding position, means for feeding the stack including saidoscillating memher and a second member having a lost-motion connectionthereto, latching means releasably restraining movement of said secondmember by said oscillating member to preclude feed of the stack, and athird member movable with said sheet-separating member to trip saidlatching means when depletion of the stack requires abnormal movement ofsaid sheet-separating member for engagement therewith.

18. Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack comprising sheet-feedingrolls, a sheet-separating member cyclically movable toward and awayfromthe stack in turn to move each sheet, as it becomes the end sheet of thestack, into position to be fed by said rolls, means for feeding thestack comprising a member adapted to oscillate during any cycle of saidsheet-separating member, latching means for restraining said feedingmember from oscillation, and a control member directly mechanicallyconnected to said sheetseparating member and movable in a path extended,when said member in any of its cycles moves to abnormal extent to removea sheet from the stack, to engage and trip said latching means I WALTERT. BAILEY.

